Always forget to take your meds? Thanks to tooktake, you won’t have that problem for long. Founder Leeanna Gantt (she/her) invented the tracking labels during her own treatment for breast cancer, where she juggled at least a dozen different medications to manage the side effects of chemo. “They were on opposite schedules and in various forms, both OTC items and prescriptions,” she says, “It became too much to keep track of, and sometimes I was more uncomfortable for longer than I needed to be because I didn’t know when or if I had taken something.”

So, she created labels with tabs that you could pull off after taking a dose. “When my treatment was over, I still had one thing I had to take once a day, but never twice,” she recalls, “I would walk into my kitchen and forget if I took it which was super stressful, especially because taking it was helping prevent my cancer from returning. I started using my labels again and they became indispensable! That’s when I knew for sure that tooktake could help a lot of people like me.” Talk about turning a bitter pill into a happy one. 💊

Who is your product for?
Most of us take or use something to stay feeling our best. But until now, most reminders and tracking systems are big, bulky, complicated, and require programming. Also, most can only be used for pills. Busy people from teens with allergies, ADHD, or anxiety to parents with high cholesterol, low vitamin D, or acne can and should use tooktake labels because they’re easy to use, don’t require you to program anything, come in fun colors, and work on anything: liquids, lotions, powders, drops, gummies, etc.

Millions of people of all ages have chronic conditions they treat with OTC or prescription medication that they don’t talk about because of the stigma attached to them. Removing the stigma is one of my goals with tooktake. With tooktake labels, I want to support everyone in taking whatever they need to feel their best and encourage them to share their wellness routine with friends and family so they can support them as well.

Do you have any new product ideas in development?
I just launched a line of tooktake pet labels that I’m thrilled about! I’ve heard from many people that they use tooktake for their pets as well as themselves and their families! Since our pets can’t let us know if they have already had their supplements or medications, tooktake plays an important role in eliminating the guesswork.

Speaking of product ideas, what’s your advice to those who have one but don’t know where to start to get it out there?
If you have an idea that excites you, I would recommend trying to get samples or prototypes made that you can share with the people you think would most like your product. Depending on the idea, this can be a fairly easy and inexpensive thing to do. Then you can test your product, get feedback from the people using it, and make refinements. Next, you should research the best place to sell your product, whether that be at a craft fair, a farmers market, or online, then talk with people who are already selling in a similar way to get some advice. I find most entrepreneurs love to share tips and tricks that they have learned along the way. Then, start with the least amount of inventory you can and test the waters to see how you do. Don’t expect to go viral and sell out in a day. It does happen, but very rarely.

Is there anything else you’d like to share?
In the U.S., 70% of people take at least one prescription medication, but most don’t talk about it. For some reason, people have been taught that taking meds means something is wrong with them, they are getting old, they’re lazy, or giving in to Big Pharma. But for many of us, medication or supplements make the difference between being healthy and feeling our best or not. I’d like to encourage people to not judge their friends and family for taking what they need to get and stay well, and instead, support them.